We see that you have a search directory identifying law firms on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in Bradford?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Bradford.
Is it the case that all Bradford solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Santander conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some banks do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Bradford. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
I have instructed a Bradford conveyancing practitioner having checked that they are on the Santander conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Santander will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Santander will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Bradford surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
Should my solicitor be raising questions concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Bradford.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Bradford. There are those who purchase a house in Bradford, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.
Conveyancers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous checks that may be carried out by the purchaser or by their lawyers which will figure out the risks in Bradford. The conventional set of property information forms sent to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard question of the seller to discover if the property has ever been flooded. If flooding has previously occurred and is not revealed by the seller, then a purchaser could issue a legal claim for losses resulting from an inaccurate reply. The buyer’s conveyancers will also commission an environmental search. This will indicate whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries will need to be initiated.
Me and my brother purchased a terraced Georgian house in Bradford. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Santander. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Bradford and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.
How simple is it to use the search app to get a fee calculation from a conveyancing solicitor in Bradford on the panel for my mortgage?
1st pick a lender such as Lloyds TSB Bank, Skipton Building Society or Barclays Direct then choose your location a common one being Bradford. Conveyancing organisations in Bradford and further afield should be shown.
I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Bradford. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Bradford ?
Most houses in Bradford are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Bradford in which case you should be shopping around for a Bradford conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the landlord’sconsent to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer should advise you fully on all the issues.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Bradford - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to buying
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How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments? You will want to discover as much as you can regarding the managing agents as they can either make life much easier or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily issues like the cleanliness of the communal areas. Don't be shy to ask other tenants what they think of them. Finally, be sure you know the dates that the service fees are due to the managing agents and precisely what it includes. Can you tell me if there are any major works in the planning that will add a premium to the maintenance costs?